Manufacturers generally ship products that have electrical power cords with the cords neatly bundled and secured to minimize shipping space and to present a neat and attractive package to the consumer. Most consumers are familiar with the standard manner that manufacturers use to bundle electrical cords with new appliances and the like: the power cord is neatly folded over onto itself in an accordion-like manner into a bundle that is tightly secured near the center of the bundle with a tie wire or other similar tying device. With the power cords folded back over themselves in this familiar manner and the folded cord tied near the center point of the bundle, the cord is held in a bundle that is shaped somewhat like a figure eight--the center of the bundle where the tie wire is located is constricted relative to the outer ends of the bundle where the cord is folded over on itself.
But most any consumer will also recognize that once the original tie wire that secures the bundled cord is undone, it is very difficult to re-bundle the cord--at least in any fashion that resembles the original, neat bundle that the manufacturer supplied. Indeed, once the originally bundled cord is untied, that may be the last time the cord is ever so neatly organized.
Consumers can readily identify with the problems associated with unbundled electrical power cords. For instance, the excess length of cord is often in the way, often stuffed by the consumer behind the appliance. But power cords are notorious for working their way out from behind appliance, sometimes presenting a risk of tripping a passerby, resulting in injury. But the problem is not limited to electrical power cords. With the advent of enhanced telecommunications and efficient and reasonably priced office equipment, the number of cords used in homes and businesses has increased dramatically. Most residences and nearly all businesses use computers, monitors, printers, fax machines and copy machines, in addition to the more standard appliances that might be used. All of these devices require electrical power cords, and most are used with electrical surge protectors that have separate power cords. Most computers also require telephone cords, and it is not unusual to have separate telephone cords running from wall jacks to the computer, the fax, and the telephone. The result is all too familiar to most people: a jumbled mess of tangled cords.
The problem of unorganized cords is not limited to the situation where the cord is in use. Thus, since consumers seem to rely on so many different types of power cords and other wiring it is not at all unusual to have extra cords such as extension cords, spare telephone cords, spare printer cables and the like. Once manufacturer's original bundling of these cords is undone it is hard to rebundle the cord back to its original, neat package. The result again is a tangled mess of cords, often stuffed away in some drawer.
There is a need therefore for a simple device for storing and organizing electrical power cords and other wiring such as phone cables and the like whether the cords are in use or are being stored. There are several prior art devices intended to facilitate the storage and organization of electrical power cords. For example, both U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,285,486 and 4,878,586 disclose holders design for cords. In the '486 patent the invention includes an elongate cylinder suitable for receiving a coiled or bundled electrical cord. The cylinder is attachable to a bracket so that the combination can be fixed to, for instance, a wall. The '586 patent also discloses a tubular member into which the folded cord is inserted. This patent includes a wall-mounted rack for holding the folded cord and the tubular member.
While both of the inventions disclosed in these patents are useful for organizing cords, none are designed to take advantage of the geometric configuration of a folded cord and to thereby hold the cord in the most efficient manner.
In one preferred embodiment of the present invention an elongate cylindrical member is provided for storing and organizing wiring such as electrical power cords, telephone cords and the like, and other foldable cords such as rope. In this sense the word "cord" is used somewhat generically herein. The device may be used in situations where the cord is in use with, for example, an appliance, computer or the like. In these cases the apparatus functions as a keeper and organizer for the cord that prevents tangling with other cords. Likewise, the inventive device may be used to store cords that are not being used and to keep them organized and free from tangling with other cords.
The cylindrical member may be sized according to the size and gauge of the cord with which it is intended for use. But regardless of the size of the device, the same structural features are used to provide an effective apparatus for storing and organizing cords. In a preferred embodiment the cylindrical member has an axial passageway formed therethrough. The passageway or opening through the member has a first diameter at each outer end. The diameter of the opening through the member decreases smoothly and radially inwardly from each outer end toward a central area of the passageway, where the opening through the tube has a constricted diameter relative the rest of the tube and has its smallest diameter. The resulting tubular member is uniquely configured to hold an appropriately sized cord that is folded over onto itself in an essentially figure eight orientation.